Door knocker



Aug. 13, v 1946.

w. NEUHAUS 2,405,916

. DOOR KNOCKER Fil'ed Oct; 25, 1944 INVENTOR WILLIAM NEUHAUS AFTJRNEYS Patented Aug. 13, 1946 noon nockers 1 Claim. 1

This invention appertains to door knockers and more particularly to door knockers of the mechanical type for producing a series of rapid blows or knocks on a door.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a door knocker having a novel and attractive form shaped to simulate the appearance of a Woodpecker With means for rocking the head of the Woodpecker against the door for producing the desired sound to attract the householder to the door.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide a door knocker in the form of a woodpecker having a pivotly mounted head with a forwardly extending bill for rapping on the door with means including a hand crank and a star wheel or ratchet for oscillating the head.

A further and more specific object'of my invention is to provide a novel means for mounting the head on the body of the knocker and for normally urging the head and bill into engagement with the door.

A still further important object of my invention is to provide a door knocker of the above character which will be durable and efiicient in use, one that will be simple and. easy to manufacture and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

from a solid block of material such as wood, but obviously the same can be formed from cast metal or pressed from sheet metal. The inner face of the body 5 has formed therein aninwardly extending cavity 6 in which is mounted the operating mechanism for oscillating the head 1 of the knocker. Communicating with the cavity 6 through the upper end of the body is a passageway 8. The head I carries a forwardly extending broad bill 9 which normally projects beyond the inner face of the body for engaging the door D as will be later set forth. The bill 9 is preferably tapered toward its forward end, but the same terminates in a broad tapping face I0. Formed on or secured to the head 1 is a depending neck II which extends into the cavity 6 through the passageway 8. The neck terminates in a pointed end I 2 for a purpose which will also be later described. A pivot pin l3 connects the neck with the body 5 whereby the head is free to rock back and forth to permit the engagement 5 of the bill with the door.

With these and other objects in view, the in- I vention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through my door knocker taken substantially on the line II of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the knocker applied to a door.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 1 and substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direc- Particular attention is invited to the leaf springs M as the same form an important feature of my invention. "The front ends of the springs I4 are secured as at l5 to the upper end of the body on each side of the neck H and the rear ends of the spring curve upwardly, as

at It into engagement with the lower face of the head I in rear of the pivot 13 and normally urge the head forwardly and the bill into engagement with the door.

Rotatably mounted in the body 5 below the neck II is a transversely extending shaft ll. Mounted upon the shaft for rotation therewith is a star or ratchet wheel [8 and this ratchet Wheel is deposited within the cavity 6. The radially extending points IQ of the star are adapted to engage the pointed terminal l2 of the neck I I. One end of the shaft protrudes beyond the body 5 and has connected therewith a handle or crank 20 to permit the rotation of the shaft by a person. In order to permit the easy fastening of the knocker to a door D, the inner face of the body has secured thereto transversely extending straps or brackets 21 which protrude beyond the side face of the body. Screws 22 can extend through the straps and into the door for of theneck I I rides of! of a point the spring will 'door knooker of an exceptionally simple form which can readily take the form of a woodpecker =andswhich will formulate the? noise made by a woddpecken when the knockeris operating.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of my invention, but what I claim as new is: i H H A door knocker shaped to simulate a woodpecker comprising a body having :an rinterior cavity, means carried by theflforward iace of the body for connecting the same" to a support, said 4 body, a transversely extending shaft rotatably carried by the body extending through the cavity, means for rotating the shaft, a wheel having radially extending points secured to the shaft for rotation therewith, a head on the upper end of the body having a depending neck extending into the cavity and having its lower end arranged in the path of the wheel points, a pivot pin rockably mounting the neck intermediate its ends on itheirbody,*leafsprings disposed on opposite sides ofthe-neck' having their forwardv endssecured to the upper end of the body and their rear ends :.curved upwardly and rearwardly into engagement with the head in rear of the pivot for norcavity opening out through the upper end lofathe 7 I mally urging the head forwardly, and a striking V -;bill:carried:by said head and projecting forwardly therefrom.

WILLIAM N EUHAUS. 

